In situ evaluation of the reflectivity of molybdenum and rhodium coatings in an ITER-like mixed environment

Molybdenum and rhodium are foreseen to be utilized in ITER for the light reflecting, plasma facing components called first mirrors (FMs). In this work, the plasma and impurity conditions which FMs are expected to be subjected to were simulated experimentally, while monitoring their reflectivity. Experiments include deuterium plasma exposure with tungsten-carbon and tungsten-aluminum impurities, where aluminum was employed as a proxy for beryllium. The surface composition and morphology of the mirrors were characterized with XPS and SEM. When carbon was present in the plasma, the molybdenum surface became carbidized, while this effect was not observed for rhodium. Aluminum impurities were deposited as oxides, whereas tungsten was either oxidized or carbidized depending on the presence of carbon in the plasma. SEM results show the deposits to be amorphous. The mirrors in erosion conditions showed no critical decrease in the reflectivity, whereas the degradation was severe in net deposition conditions involving carbon. Cleaning techniques have to be developed for mirrors in deposition conditions, which should be part of ITER's routine operation.